The other day, one of my good friends, who is also an educator, sent me the picture above they found on the web. We both found this to be very powerful! I remember after seeing this, I sent this picture out over Twitter and Instagram! I immediately began to think, "Is suspension always the right answer?"

Make no mistake, I understand suspension is needed sometimes, but is it always the right answer? No! There are alternatives to it! Just look at the above photo! That was more powerful than being put out of school for several days! It was probably embarrassing too, but the students involved probably never want that to happen again. For some kids when they get suspended, we are just sending them to a worse situation. Often times, they are missing valuable instruction!

While I do not think suspension is always the answer, I still think it is appropriate at times! I know there is data that shows students of color being suspended more than students that are White; however, we have to look at the data school by school instead of an overall district. If I am in a school in which 98 percent of the student population is African American, the likelihood of all students being suspended is probably going to be 100%.

And while suspension may not always be the best answer, we have to look at each case student by student! For some, yes, suspension is needed! Sometimes, students need counseling. Sometimes, the traditional school setting may not be right for a particular individual. We have to provide the right support services! But even when providing those support services, I feel that sometimes students are not provided with a consequence for their actions. As educators, especially those in administrative powers, we have to seek that students have REAL, LOGICAL consequences! By providing an appropriate consequence, a student's behavior that is not appropriate is less likely to happen.

Sometimes, suspension is appropriate! But several factors have to go into consideration before suspension occurs. Furthermore,students must be provided with consequences that will show them there are serious repercussions for their actions! This is more important than just suspension! If we do not, we are not preparing them for life!